The search for a Northwest passage

Since Columbus encountered the land barrier of America in 1492,
many explorers have ventured into the inhospitable Arctic regions
in search of the Northwest Passage, a navigable channel that was
believed to connect the North Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The
search is a long chapter of failure, disaster, and tragedy, but also
of heroism and endurance, and four frustrating centuries would pass
before the goal would finally be achieved.